Pamela Susan Hughes-Finley, 73, St. Joseph, Missouri, passed away Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
Pamela was born and raised in St. Joseph. After graduating from Benton High School in 1970 she attended Missouri Western, where she earned degrees in both Psychology and Sociology. Later in life she would go on to earn her Master’s in Library Science at Mizzou (the University of Missouri).
Pam lived a very fulfilling and colorful life. Always the fashionista, you almost never saw her in the same outfit twice. Her purse always matched her shoes. You would never catch her without her make-up, hair and accessories done to perfection.
Pam had an infectious smile and loved to laugh. She was always at the center of every conversation with a story to tell. Her stories were always epic and colorful. She knew exactly how to engage her audience and keep them captivated until the end.
Her biggest love was children. Pam had always wanted to be a children’s librarian. When she was a young woman, she had worked in the Children’s Department at the St. Joseph Public Library. She knew then that this was the career path she wanted to take. Marriage and three children put a short side-step to that path.
In 1989, Pam began that pursuit for her career in the library world. For the next 30 years, Pam spent that time doing what she loved. She put on elaborate storytimes with puppets, fun props, and even dressed herself up in character to instill a love of books in young minds. Her life purpose was to get every child who walked into her library to love reading.
She also had a deep love for history and art. She instilled that love in her children and grandchildren through many visits to museums, live theatre, live music, festivals, gardens, and more. She saw the beauty of this world everywhere she went.
Pam was preceded in death by her father, Lee Hughes.
Survivors include her mother, Joan; children, Wendy, Allister (Courtney), and Catherine (Anthony); six grandchildren, Dalton, Kiersten, Evan, Kaitlyn, Aden, and Corrine; and her siblings, Kerry, Trudie, Stuart, and Betsy. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service is planned for Spring of 2026. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Friends of the St. Joseph Public Library.
